


Tangled Up in Blue

by truebluemoon



Series: Like a Rolling Stone [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Band Fic, Bickering, Concerts, Double Entendre, F/F, Jealousy, Manipulation, Modern Thedas, Rock and Roll, Sexual Tension, Strangers to Lovers, Surprise Kissing, Wannabe Punks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2018-03-17
Packaged: 2018-12-21 09:26:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11941179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truebluemoon/pseuds/truebluemoon
Summary: Drusilla Amell insisted she did not fall in love with the girl at the rock show. If she did, she'd know.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't so much a Modern AU as a Modern-ish AU. I decided that this fic was gonna be set in the Thedas equivalent of anywhere between the late '70s to the late '80s.

The air was cold and humid that night. Dru Amell had just gotten off her shift at Duncan’s Donuts, the local spot in town for coffee, sandwiches, and, _yes_ , donuts. But Duncan really only put the donut part on the sign for the alliteration, since he really was cheesy at heart despite the rugged exterior. It’s why he had such a soft spot for Alistair and why he put up with Sera’s antics. Many of the older Wardens and Warden vets were the same way: serious on the outside, total softies on the inside.   

Maybe that’s why Duncan let her off the hook for her night shift that day. Thom was willing to cover for her, citing some old quote about youth and living life that he probably saw on a greeting card once and took to heart. Those kinds of quotes followed by “-Empress Celene I” or “-Zither” or something when there’s not actually any _evidence_ they said anything like that but saying they did gives it credibility. They’re supposed to be inspirational, not factual. Thom was into that sort of thing. Duncan, evidently, was too, since he let her off easy for deciding to forgo her shift for some concert.  

He could be surprisingly chill for a Grey Warden.

“So, guys, where’s the hotdog stand?”

Alright, maybe agreeing to take Alistair along was a factor. He and Duncan were close, after all, and Dru _did_ have a third ticket with no one’s name on it. Her cousin Garrett couldn’t go because he had a date. Neither of the Hawke twins were interested in going. Varric insisted that he was far too old to be out past seven. Anders disappeared off the face of Thedas. Nathaniel had some charity event to host with his family. She was convinced Velanna hated her guts, and Sigrun probably wouldn’t go if Velanna wouldn’t. Sera somehow got herself banned from the venue the concert was in, no surprise there. And Jowan was… Jowan.

So that left Alistair, who didn’t exactly get along with the other member of their party.

“Hotdog stand? What sort of place do you think this is, a football stadium?” Morrigan curled her lips into a sneer.

“Maybe if I clap my hands hard enough and _believe_ ,” and, ever the adult, he clapped his hands to demonstrate. Morrigan rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath. It sounded like an expletive.

Dru shoved her hands into her jean pockets. “Do you have your tickets with you?”

Together like this, they must have looked ridiculous. There was Morrigan, who was pretty and petite and would have looked almost delicate if not for her spiked hair and leather jacket. Dru had a similar style albeit one that was more work appropriate. There was no product in her hair to attain an alternative hairstyle, just a sleek black ponytail. There were no chains or safety pins either. It was just a basic T-shirt and pants ensemble with a black leather jacket over it. Alistair, on the other hand, looked like he was there on a mix-up with his blue polo shirt and light denim jeans. And since he was the tallest one out of the three, he was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

The scene looked almost comical, now that she thought about it.

They had settled on meeting by the building’s entrance an hour before the start of the event. Despite that, there was already a line forming at the front, the long narrow doorway unprepared for the amount of attendees. The venue was this shitty little hole-in-the-wall on the edge of town that Oghren went to for his AA meetings, though there was a mile’s difference between a concert and an AA meeting. For one, one was for cutting off access to addictive substances and the other _provided_ access to them. Still, either way, the place was pretty rundown. The pale blue paint on the outside was starting to peel, revealing the hardwood underneath. There wasn’t much in the way of scenery, but maybe that was the point. There was nothing to distract from the music.

There certainly weren’t any hotdog stands around.

“Of _course_ I brought my ticket,” Morrigan huffed, about the same time Alistair took his ticket out and waved it in the air.

“Great,” She said, “Let’s get in line before it gets too long.”

The crowds were already starting to gather, making the line less a line and more a mess of lines going every which way. There was little personal space and even less care for others. Every so often, somebody would accidentally knock into someone else. Dru found herself holding her breath every time she noticed, waiting for a fight that never came.

She didn’t know what it said about her that she kind of hoped a fight _would_ break out.

“I regret allowing you to talk me into this,” hissed Morrigan, eyes glancing about the surrounding crowd like a cornered animal.

“Hey, I thought you _liked_ … ” Dru looked down at the wrinkled flyer and read off, ““Experimental Entropic New Wave.” Whatever that is.” She had to squint to read the text because of all the bodies blocking the bright lights. The shadows their figures cast didn’t exactly help.

Morrigan let out a long-suffering sigh. “It’s applying Entropy spellwork to rock music and incorporating it into the sound to amplify the emotional effects. And, yes, I _listen_ to it.” Well, of course Morrigan would, considering she aced their Entropy courses back in the College of Enchanters. Besides, it sounded pretentious and complicated, and Morrigan had both qualities in spades. It was why Dru loved her. 

Alistair piped in with, “Sounds too much like blood magic to me.”

“Perhaps, if you believe whatever Chantry propaganda they fed you in Sunday School,” Morrigan retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Excuse you, I was _expelled_ from Sunday School-“

“Cut it out,” She interrupted, as per usual, “We’re here to have _fun_ , not to fight.”

“Yeah, tell **her** that,” Alistair said, directed at Morrigan’s eyeroll. She was sure that Morrigan was just as tempted to point out just how ironic that demand was.

“I’m telling both of you,” Dru corrected, “because you’re my friends and I love you, and I’ll kill you if you ruin my one night off this week.”

They stopped their bickering, but they still threw each other sulky glares like children who were planning to throw utensils the moment their teacher’s back was turned. Them putting her in that situation was so frustrating sometimes. Besides that, she found herself satisfied. Short-lived arguments were probably the best case scenario with these two, anyways.

Suddenly, though, his eyes were filled with a different emotion altogether. His hand on his ass, he felt around for something in his backpockets. “Crap!”

“Yes, Alistair, that is where it comes out.” Dru cocked her head to the side.

“No- my _wallet_ ,” Alistair insisted, “it’s gone!”

With that, Morrigan and Dru shared the _look_. It was hard to describe the look, having developed out of years of nonverbal cues that only one another recognized. They had the look when Garrett decided to buy a baby dragon off the black market. They had the look when someone actually agreed to marry Oghren. And, of course, they’d shared that look many times over Jowan’s life choices. How things changed and yet still remained the same.

Dru finally turned to look at Alistair. “I’ll help you look for it. Two heads are better than one,” Dru pointed out. She flashed Morrigan a smile. “We’ll be back in a few.”

She left before Morrigan could make her disapproval known. There was no need to waste time talking when they could be doing something about it. She grabbed his arm as they made their way through the crowd, the bodies pulling this way and that like an ocean’s tide. “So, Al, where did you last have it?” The ebb and flow of it was going to be a challenge if they were going to find his wallet.

“I don’t remember…” His voice drifted off, barely audible over the disjointed parts of conversations they could overhear. “Ooh, are those free T-shirts?”

“ _Alistair_ ,” Dru said, but he wasn’t listening. As he was pulled in one direction by the flow of the crowd, she was pulled in the other. She tried to push past the people heading in the opposite direction, but her grip on his arm wasn’t tight enough to keep them together. It wasn’t long before they were torn apart. A cursory glance told her she didn’t recognize anyone around her. “Alistair?” She called, turning in place. No answer. She considered contacting him some other way, but she doubted he brought his pager for work to some seedy concert.

It was just her luck that her first free time in forever turned into a missing person’s case.

Her breathing hitched, feeling the situation really hit her. She was alone. She was in a crowd, but, once again, she was on her own. Mother was right.  No, she couldn’t go down that road when it wasn’t late enough for that much alcohol.

She checked her watch, squinting through the dark shadows. “I’ve got time,” she had to remind herself, trying to steady her breathing. She couldn’t hear herself over the crowd, but she knew what she was saying. She could only remind herself that the only problem was how she was going to get anywhere in this crowd. She pushed through with her arms out to get some space, though her success rate was a bit hit and miss. Finally, she reached an area near the edge of the crowd where the distribution of people was more bearable.

That was when it happened.

Suddenly, she was being jerked forward by the shoulders. It was hard to tell what was going on in a crowd like that, but all she saw was arms making a bridge between her and a tank top with a skull and flowers print.

“What the f-“

The figure was taller than her by at least a few inches, from the way she had to lean down to meet Dru’s lips.

“It’s an emergency,” she said just before the kiss, “Pepper spray me later.” 

Then, their lips met. The stranger’s lips were full and shapely, but they were soft. But then they weren’t, chapped skin at the edges that gave the kiss some friction. If she’d been thinking, she’d tell herself they were just lips. This was just another person and every person had lips. It was nothing special. But Maker, if they were just anyone’s lips, why did they feel so good to touch?

It was the most passionate kiss she’d ever had.

Then, there was tongue. It tested the boundaries between them at first. The sensation was light, teasing almost. But when Dru responded in kind, the lines got muddled. She felt a hand cradling her jaw, so she reached out to grab the hips rubbing up against her. They were reaching for more contact, more stimulation, more, _more_.

But Dru came to her senses. This wasn’t what she was here to do, and she still needed to find... something. Puzzled at how dazed she felt, Dru forced herself to pull away. She didn’t have to pry the hands off of her, but she felt the touch linger. Something about that made her heart race with indignation, and it didn’t stop once she got a good look.

Her short, flaming red hair was just barely short enough to qualify for androgynous but well-kempt enough to look polished. The way she ran her fingers through it looked precisely calculated to arouse, arms raised enough to show off her toned biceps and hair striking enough to draw attention to her face. And, woah, what a face. Maker, the woman looked like a model. No, she was sturdier than a model; she looked like a steadying anchor in a storm.  She appeared strong, hardened, beautiful.

And she’d grabbed her and kissed her, like she was just décor to brighten the room. How dare she? She didn’t even ask, didn’t even look her in the eyes, before doing it. With a scowl, she shoved the woman farther away from her. “The _fuck_ , lady. You can’t just fucking-” She couldn’t find the words; there was too much. “Just stay back.”

The woman raised up her arms in surrender. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have… I just needed to ward her off.” She raised her voice loud enough for Dru to hear her over the crowd, barely enough to register the accent. It sounded vaguely foreign, but Dru couldn’t place it. Orlesian or Nevarran, maybe. It definitely wasn’t Fereldan. It made her wonder how famous the bands were that people were flying in from other countries to see them play. Maybe she should have _sold_ the tickets she won in the contest, if attending was that sought after.

It’s not as though Dru Amell was known for her great life choices.

“Her who?” But she wasn’t listening, looking away from her out into the surrounding crowd.  Dru tried to follow her line of sight, but she couldn’t figure out who or what she was looking at. It was long enough that she considered casting a quick spell to catch her attention, even if that was a horrifically irresponsible use of her license.

Finally, a smile graced her full, angular lips. “That’ll do wonderfully.” Then, the stranger leaned in enough that she was hit with the heady smell of secondhand smoke and floral perfume. “I’m Leliana, and you?”

“Drusilla,” she bit her lip, practically drowning in the tangle of scents, “but everyone calls me Dru.”

She watched Leliana take a drag off her cigarette with interest. When Dru’s gaze rested too long on the shape of her lips, she forced it back on her eyes. And Leliana gazed back. Her whole world for a moment was brown eyes into blue. One set of round pupils trained on another.

It was long, unbroken eye contact.

Several minutes passed before she even remembered why they were here, like this, right now. It was longer before she remembered Morrigan and Alistair.  And longer still her dignity. That last one took her far more time to recover than she would have liked.

“Well, Dru,” Leliana smirked, and Dru wasn’t sure whether the adrenaline rushing through her veins was outrage or... “Do you make it a habit of staring?”

No, it was definitely outrage.

Dru frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. The space between them felt like too much and yet not enough. “Do you make it a habit of kissing random strangers?”

She opened her mouth, as if to protest, but then she closed it and nodded. She took another drag off her cigarette before she finally replied. “Point taken.” An eyebrow quirked upwards, mocking her. “To be fair, you did kiss back.” Oh, so she was a smartass.

“Is the pepper spray offer still on the table?”

She chuckled. “Sure, if you stick around after the first set. I know a guy who knows a guy who can get you backstage.”

But, Dru wondered, wasn’t that what they all say? They have some cousin who said “hi” to someone who works there once, so fuck them and they’ll put in a good word for you. Dru knew it was usually just bullshit used to manipulate naïve kids with more pocket money than sense. Still, she considered the offer. If Leliana wasn’t just spouting bullshit and she really could get her backstage, then maybe Morrigan would be excited enough to stop picking fights with Alistair. And, in turn, that could start a chain reaction of Alistair not starting shit with Morrigan over magic. Morrigan then wouldn’t have anything to be provoked over. Alistair then wouldn’t have any snarky replies to protest over. The three of them could enjoy a fun night out in peace.

She didn’t know where the fuck they _were_ , but, if they hadn’t killed eachother yet, then she could salvage this.

It was better than admitting tonight was a mistake.

“Where will you be?”

“Waiting for you by the bar.” Leliana gave her that arrogant smirk again. Oh, she just _knew_ that Dru was already decided, didn’t she?

“Maybe I’ll be there,” Dru said. “Maybe I won’t.”

“What poison of choice should be waiting for you? A grown woman should know what she wants.” Dru frowned at the dig, as if the noncommittal answer wasn’t all Leliana’s fault to begin with. Who was she to judge her anyways?

“I _know_ what I want,” she declared, taking a step forward.

At first, Leliana’s hand clutching her cigarette stalled in its path to her mouth. She blinked, once, then twice. Slowly, the corner of her lips lifted. “Oh?” She took a drag off her cigarette.

She realized then that she’d gotten ahead of herself. They were talking about ordering drinks at the _bar_. What cocktails did they even serve there? Or did they not really mix drinks at all? It could have just been pouring straight from the bottle into a shot glass. “I… uh…” Dru wasn’t much of a drinker, but she had to pick something. “Whiskey?”

Leliana turned her head, pausing to look at her. Dru judged from the sudden silence that she said _something_ wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what it might’ve been. Maybe she had particular tastes in alcohol. “Whiskey it is,” she said, finally. Then, as she turned away, she said, “I’ll see you then, Dru.”

She watched her disappear into the thinning crowd, trying not to look at the slope of her waist or the curves of her hips. Leliana made a striking figure among the masses, both in height and in the way she carried herself, but even her presence could fade. Now that Dru was more aware of their surroundings, she started to notice that the huge crowd of earlier was nearly half its size now. On one hand, they’d probably end up in the back of the room, but, still, it was less people to push aside in her search for her friends.

She found them by the entrance, Morrigan’s arms crossed and Alistair gesturing wildly. “You’re an _idiot_ ,” Dru heard faintly. “Just don’t speak to anyone the rest of the night. _I’ll_ find her.”

Alistair saw Dru and wave his wallet midair to her like a greeting. “No need, Morrigan. She’s back! Dru, I found my wallet by the bathroom.”

Morrigan’s shoulders relaxed. “Ah, back from your disappearing act. Now, we can go in, yes?”

“You won’t _believe_ what happened,” Dru lowered her voice, “This girl grabbed me and kissed me and invited us backstage.”

“That sounds like something straight out of a movie!” Alistair’s eyes were as wide as saucers.

Morrigan’s eyes, on the other hand, narrowed at this piece of information. “That sounds like something a total _creep_ would do.”

“What?” Alistair exclaimed, “I thought you were a fan.”

“Exactly,” Dru agreed, “What if you get to meet one of your idols?”

“Dru, what if she’s simply lying to get into your pants?” Morrigan countered. “I thought you had more sense than that.”

“I’m a big girl, Morrigan. I know how to take care of myself,” She bristled at the sudden protective streak. Morrigan wasn’t her _mother_ , for fuck’s sake. “If it’s bullshit, I’ll figure it out pretty damn quickly and, if it’s _not_ , you get to eat your words when they lead us _backstage_.”

Alistair nudged Morrigan’s arm with a grin, having evidently found his enthusiasm. “Yeah, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Morrigan rolled her eyes and looked away with a scowl. Dru shook her head, wondering what was going on with her. Usually, her best friend was up for whatever Dru had in mind, especially if she benefited from it too.

That aside, they couldn’t keep wasting their time out there when the concert could start at any minute. “We better go in,” Dru suggested. “Maybe we can still get a good view.”

When they showed their ticket to the bouncer and went inside, the room was wall-to-wall full of fans, adorned with band t-shirts and, in some cases, wild makeup in contrasting colors. Even with some attendees still hanging around outside, the place was packed. Thankfully, the room itself was bigger than what she’d thought it be in such a smalltime venue. It stretched from the small front door to a staging area about fifty feet away, bordered by tall steps leading down to the ground level. The equipment was already set up by then, making a near empty stage look even emptier somehow. Perhaps an attempt to further draw attention to the stage, the multi-colored lights rained down on the scene from above like sunshine scattering across a diamond. 

After a quick look around, she found the bar at the side. Converted from what looked to be the front desk and its storage space, it was made up of a thick wooden table surrounded by plastic stools. The bartender was already serving the various patrons, mixing brightly colored liquids into small, delicate glassware.  

“Hey, everybody, we’re just as excited as you for tonight’s setlist,” the host’s voice echoed through the room, “Can I hear you say “yeah!”?”

The crowd’s answering call was filled with cheering and chants. The scattered voices seemed to reverberate as one loud sound, like several lights joining together to light a room. It was exhilarating to feel like one large, united entity. Even Alistair got into it.

“First up is a little band from Denerim called Songbird!” The ensuing screams from a few members of the crowd pierced her eardrums; Dru was sure this concert alone was going to lead to early onset hearing loss. The rest of the crowd cheered along but not with as much fervor as the very, very loud minority.

From Morrigan’s smile, this must have been one of her favorites. Despite earlier, she felt herself smile too.

She got onto her tiptoes to see the band more clearly, suddenly cursing her height (here she thought she was _tall_ ). She spot the vague outline of three figures getting onstage. One was shorter and stout, another was tall and wiry, and the third was regular height with large, pointed ears. She had to shove a handsy couple on their date apart to finally have the full view of the stage. She ignored their curses. If they couldn’t handle being shoved, then they shouldn’t have gone to a concert. No, Dru was focused on the band getting to their instruments.

But when Dru managed to make out the one in the center, she froze. “ _No_.”

“How is everyone doing tonight?” Leliana greeted the audience, her cat’s smile visible just above the microphone.

And did she just fucking _wink_?


	2. Chapter 2

When Leliana started singing, Dru could feel the mood in the room shift. She wasn’t sure if it was her voice, the way it started off soft and almost disquieting. Maybe it was the emotion in it. Her tone was desperate, helpless, searching for her lost love that she thought she once knew. The lyrics described a universal experience, but something about the way she approached it felt new. Not to mention the thick, intense instrumentals that started off slow and built on it exponentially. Still, it could have just been the spell the mage band member cast. Ironic how that was the last thing that came to mind.

And yet, she almost didn’t care what it was.

For a moment, just a moment, she could put aside the woman’s earlier behavior and enjoy herself.

While the instrumentals sped up, Dru held her breath at the sight of Leliana thrashing to the distorted guitar shredding. Bathed in the technicolor light, she looked like a spirit in a fade dream. Something natural but not quite real. Dru was suddenly hit with the strangest sensation. _I want to know you_. Her short red hair unfortunately covered her face, so she couldn’t see her expression. But, watching her onstage, Dru could feel just how into it she was, even though she didn’t know her that well. _Though I want to_. She really did, at least enough to explain earlier. At least enough to decide whether her initial judgment was right on the money.  

Dru let the emotions wash over her, not even knowing she had been swaying with the crowd until she nearly collided with Alistair. He looked a little out of it, but she couldn’t tell whether he was just zoning out or if he was sensitive to the spell used. Some people were just like that, in her experience. Usually, people didn’t know they were until exposed to the right spell. What confused the matter was that he’d get like this at Duncan’s sometimes, so it wasn’t as though she could be sure it was the magic or the man.  

“I’m sorry,” she said, her mind no longer on the song or its singer. He didn’t seem to hear her. She tried again, with no luck.

As the song started to end, she leaned in towards Morrigan. “I think Alistair’s having some kind of re-”

The applause cut her off. The influx of cheers, yells, and even screams drowned her out. Still, Morrigan heard enough from Dru that she frowned, either at the fact their night was going to be derailed by Alistair or the fact something might actually be wrong with him. Knowing Morrigan, it was probably a little of both, even if she wouldn’t admit it. Dru believed Morrigan wasn’t a bad person at heart. Just not a very sensitive one.

“We’ll need to get _away_ from the horde,” Morrigan practically shouted in her ear, probably trying to compete with the noise of the crowd.

“Yeah, good idea,” She tried to reply, linking her arm with Alistair’s. She looked around, getting a feel for the distribution of the crowd. It _seemed_ thicker around the stage, probably wanting to be as close to the bands as possible. But she couldn’t see where it thinned out, with all the attendees around them. When he started to double over, she realized their time was up. She needed to get him something to sit on ASAP. She pulled him towards the closest seating: the stools at the bar. He needed water, if her instincts were steering her right.

The bartender took one look at Alistair and sighed. “You know the bar is for drinking liquor, right? Not spewing it all over the counter?”

Dru gave Alistair a pat on the back. “Give him a break. He’s sick.” Besides, he hadn’t thrown up _yet_. 

“He can go be sick somewhere else,” He wiped an empty glass with a dishcloth, eyeing the three of them with disdain.

“I didn’t know the bar refused service whenever it felt like it,” Dru muttered dryly.

Morrigan rolled her eyes. “Bar implies actually _serving_ drinks strong enough to get him sick.”

“Are you even old enough to drink, kid?” He looked to Morrigan, whose eyes were boring into him like she wasn’t leaving without casting a hex or two. She could see her friend’s hands tighten into fists and the length of her back curve forward.

Dru took one hand off of Alistair and clamped it on Morrigan’s shoulder. “Don’t waste your mana on this guy.”

Morrigan’s eyes didn’t leave the bartender. “I’ve been of age for almost a _decade_.”

“I know,” Dru said.

“I feel weird,” Alistair finally announced.

“I _know_ ,” Dru said.

She groaned, needing a distraction and fast. The action onstage gave her that in spades.

The next song was on now; it seemed like the last one played forever ago. Leliana’s vocals were already picking up, and she felt the intensity ripple through her. The melodic voice mingled with the rush of the percussion and the scratch of the guitar’s strumming. This one had a grittier sound to it, like the band wasn’t even trying for finesse. The same air of desperation was present from the last song she heard, but it sounded angrier. Someone wronged her. They took her and changed her into something else. She wanted to take her life back. She wanted control. She wanted _freedom_.

But along the way, it started to turn into something else.

With every audible breath Leliana took, Dru could imagine breathing it in. She could imagine a lot of things. They could be so close that she could smell her perfume again. Her hands would drift up her shirt, and she’d think of their kiss again. Feeling the ghost of her lips on her skin, it made her wonder how it’d feel _else_ where. Would Leliana kiss the same way on her neck when she could feel her pulse? How would her lips feel on her bare shoulders? On her cheek? Her nose? What about between her… 

Dru swallowed. She could have been fooling herself, but she thought she saw Leliana look at her.

Not into the crowd but straight at her.

Dru couldn’t look away.

Leliana smirked.

“Dru?” She felt something hitting her arm, and it only just registered that the whole world wasn’t her and the band onstage.

Her throat felt as scratchy as the guitar riff. “Yes?” Morrigan and the bartender were looking at her expectantly. The last few minutes came back to her. Alistair wasn’t well. They went to the bar. Bartender pissed off Morrigan. No one was exactly thrilled.

“Oh, uh,” Dru continued. “We’ll have a glass of water.” Her throat tingled. “Make it two.”

Leliana’s next lyric was half-spoken, half- _moaned_. The Maker was testing her patience. Dru was sure of it. Her headstone was going to read, ‘Here lies Drusilla Amell, who died as she lived: perpetually horny.’

“Will you be alright?” Morrigan leaned in.  “You seem out of it.”

“I’ll be fine once I eat her out.” Morrigan flashed her a look of utter confusion sprinkled with doubt for her friend’s sanity. “I mean, once we- once I eat something-“

The music in the background hit a climax. Thankfully, it was just an instrumental one. She wasn’t sure whether she could handle what a vocal climax would sound like. Leliana’s voice even now was too much for her, with its contrasting silky tones and hardened edges. Not to mention the accent. Or the things she sang in that accent.

“I don’t believe they serve food here,” Morrigan said, grabbing the water and handing it to her. “We can barely convince him to give us water. Perhaps we should take Alistair and you home.”

Her mind went to Leliana and their little deal. “No,” She answered firmly, “I’m fine.” She looked back to the stage. Leliana wasn’t facing them anymore, having probably lost interest in the crowd by the bar. Namely, she’d lost interest in _Dru_. Something about that rubbed her raw.

She could see Morrigan eyeing her warily. “Of course,” Morrigan replied, “Though-”

Whatever further conversation they would have had was cut short when Alistair started dry heaving. Dru immediately sprang into action.

She grasped the glass of water and held it up to his mouth. “Drink up.”

He obeyed, and she exchanged a meaningful look with Morrigan. “Have any antihistamines on you?”

“I don’t carry them _around_ , no,” Morrigan said, and before Dru could respond, the crowd erupted in a roar of noise. Everything from clapping to talking to screaming, their heads bubbling up and down in their excitement. Some of the crowd around the stage dispersed. Others sifted through the flow of people to get to the front. They started to simmer down when the stagelights brightened.

She looked to the stage on impulse. Songbird was no longer there, instead replaced by the all too eager host with the next band setting up behind him. Their set was done already? She glanced around to try and find that familiar flash of orange red.

“Dru!” She followed Morrigan’s voice to see Alistair expelling stomach bile all over the seat next to him. It dripped down to the floor below. No one’s noses had time to take in the sharp stench. Immediately, his body started to shake, the movements not unlike shivering. But they weren’t shivers.

Dru immediately grabbed hold of him and settled him down on the ground. She tried to find his pulse, and she had to press harder to find exactly what she feared.

“No EpiPen either?” She flashed a nervous smile.  At Morrigan’s look of concern, so quick it was easy to miss, she decided that they were going to have to make do. She nodded, finally letting her smile fall. “Help me keep him on his back.“

As much as Morrigan hated Alistair, much less being told what to do, she immediately did as told.

They spent about five to ten minutes trying to help Alistair, the crowd around them keeping their distance for once. Dru couldn’t spare the attention to be thankful for that.

“Should we be calling for an ambulance?” Immediately, Dru looked up at the sound. There stood Leliana, a dwarven man beside her. She felt odd crouching below her like this, but she didn’t let herself linger on that thought. This wasn’t about Leliana, she thought. It was about making sure Alistair would be okay.

“Depends. Do you have some kind of epinephrine injector backstage?” She checked his pulse again. It wasn’t any stronger, but at least it was still beating.

“We have a lot of shit backstage,” Leliana replied with confidence, that same confidence Dru rolled her eyes at earlier. “I’m sure we’ll have just what he needs.” She looked to the man next to her, who gave a small nod.

She didn’t have time to consider whether this sounded legit. Anaphylaxis was no joke, and, while he wasn’t that severe a case, she didn’t like his odds without treatment. Best bet would be calling for an ambulance, but if they had what she needed to treat it right there…. “Please get a epinephrine autoinjector. It looks like this thin tube with a nozzle at the end.” She’d done it before. She could do it again.

Leliana looked to her companion. “Tug, go ask Sketch in the rec room. He’d know where we could have something like that.”

Morrigan, meanwhile, was speechless, taking turns between looking at Dru and at Leliana.

Leliana, if she noticed Morrigan’s shock, didn’t mention it, her gaze only stealing away from Alistair to look at Dru. Dru would have been both flattered and annoyed in equal measure if they didn’t have Alistair to deal with.

“You’ve had a lot of practice with this sort of thing, I take it?” At Leliana’s question, Dru sighed and nodded.

“Yeah, back in the day, I- Well, anyways, I’m shocked you _don’t_ , considering how crazy concerts can get,” Dru mentioned, to which Leliana only shrugged.

When Tug returned, it was with an EpiPen in hand. Dru jerked it away and immediately injected it into Alistair’s thigh. She let out a sigh of relief. She exchanged a look with Leliana. “Thanks,” She said, breathlessly.

She vaguely heard Morrigan mutter something under her breath.

“Anything for a fan,” Leliana said. “And, of course, my offer to take you guys backstage is still open.”

Morrigan made a choking noise. Dru looked to Morrigan. “What?”

“That girl you mentioned is the lead singer of Songbird?” Morrigan’s brows furrowed. She then turned her attention to Leliana herself. “We’re not some groupies looking to score with the band, you know.”

“ _Morrigan_ -” Dru started at the same time Leliana began to say, “I know that.”

“Besides, maybe we should just take him back to his apartment,” Morrigan suggested. “We could go to your place after and have a quiet night in.”

Dru pressed her lips together. “Morrigan, come on. Don’t you want to hang out with the band? You could talk about… entropy spells or something.”

Morrigan shrugged helplessly. “But is going backstage a good idea when any moment that same spell could be cast in the next room?”

“It was the _spell_?” Leliana asked, looking to her friend.

He groaned in frustration. “I told Sketch not to use that new incantation. Shit!”

“Now we _have_ to give you the full backstage experience,” Leliana smiled warmly. “The lounge backstage was magic-proofed so that we wouldn’t hex eachother behind closed doors. You won’t have to worry about any spellwork back there.”

Alistair made a noise. Dru then looked from him to Morrigan. “He seems up for it. What about you?”

Morrigan sighed in defeat. “Fine.” She threw her hands in the air, giving up her resistance.

“Wonderful,” Leliana said.

They helped Alistair up, ignoring the growing number of curious onlookers, and made their way towards a door near the stage. Tug knocked, with the door opening straight afterward to a small, dark-haired man.

“Oh, we were wondering where you assholes ran off to.” Then, his line of sight landed on Alistair. “Looks like someone had a little too much to drink.” He opened the door wider and gave them space as they practically carried Alistair inside.

Dru glanced over at Leliana, who seemed so relaxed considering what just transpired. Did she often deal with these cases, considering her band used a lot of entropy magic for their performances? Or had she been so used to disaster that she wasn’t surprised this happened at one of their concerts? The air of confidence she had about her was almost disturbing, like some kind of puzzle and its solution a dark secret.

Just as Dru was on the brink of something, Leliana caught her gaze with a smirk. Dru rolled her eyes.

She and Leliana settled Alistair on a striped sofa, the sudden lack of weight feeling something like freedom. She used this newfound vigor to take a look around. It was larger than she pictured, not small by any means, but certainly not what she expected of the multipurpose center, even when converted into a concert venue. The hardwood floors were mostly covered with dark grey carpets, underneath the various mismatched furniture.

Mostly, it just smelled really good, smoke and pine and salt.

“Leli, what’s with this bloke?” said someone in the corner, voice light and young. Dru hadn’t noticed him before, but, when she looked at the elf, she realized this was another of Leliana’s bandmates. Since their third was dwarven, the mage had to be either him or Leliana. When he lifted his arm to take in a drink of a sizzling blue substance, she had her answer.

How long had it been since she last had lyrium? It’d been a couple years since she’d been out in the field, longer still since she finished her schooling. There had been no need to have any on her at all, even with her license. No magic needed doing.

And yet, it was all she could see right now. She wondered what Mr. Irving would say.

“…This is Dru,” she heard, distantly. “She heroically rescued this poor, young man from the throes of danger. With the help of yours truly.”

The lyrium sloshed in its container as he moved. Her eyes followed its fluid movements, her nails digging into her palm.

“It’s nice to meet you, Dru.” It was as if she could hear the sounds they made, but the words didn’t register.

“Yeah,” She croaked, darting out to lick her lip.

“Dru?” Morrigan said, softly. “Are you alright?”

Dru closed her eyes and shook it off. “I’ll be fine,” She said. Maybe it would have been a good idea to let Duncan know. She thought she’d gotten over it, but maybe her dependence was just lying in wait, hoping to get her when she least expected it.

“You should put your lyrium away, Sketch,” Leliana advised. “Save it for a rainy day.”

“Yeah, yeah,” He said, getting up and doing as asked, “you don’t need to tell _me_ how pricy this shit is.” He zipped the duffel bag nice and quick, like he’d been caught with his fly down.

Morrigan put her hands on her hips when she spotted the lyrium bottles inside. “You happen to have your own fully stocked drug cabinet on-the-go _and_ at least 20 kilo grade-A lyrium? How convenient.”

Dru didn’t like her tone. “Like you don’t have the same at home.”

“We get what we need when we can through legal channels,” Leliana answered Morrigan with a shrug. So nonchalant, as if she neither knew nor cared what Morrigan was implying.

“And when you can’t?” Morrigan pried.

“Then, there’s many ways to take it anyways,” Tug said, just as casually as Leliana.

At Morrigan’s outrage, Dru sat herself on an arm of the sofa. “Since when did you care how someone got their stash?”

“Since someone with a bigger stash than the local dealer put the moves on my friend,” Morrigan said.

Oh, that was _it_.

“I can take care of myself, _thanks_ ,” Dru reminded her. As if to demonstrate this, she walked to the mini-fridge and grabbed herself a beer.

“Oh, _that’s_ rich,” Morrigan retorted, “considering you’ve been treating Alistair and I like misbehaving children all night. What now? Will you change my nappy? Strap me into the pram?”

“You say you’re no child, but look at you,” She gestured toward Morrigan, beer bottle in hand, “throwing a tantrum.” The cap twisted off easily by her hand.

“And you can “take care” of yourself, but here you are ignoring red flag after red flag.” Morrigan’s brow raised, and it was something like a challenge in her voice.

“I think we-” Sketch started but was cut off by Morrigan disdainfully finishing his sentence. “Should calm down?” He did not answer her, probably cowed by her attitude. But Dru had a lot of experience dealing with said attitude, and she wasn’t intimidated.

Dru drank a hefty gulp of beer before letting its butt rest against her thigh. “If you’re capable of it, _kid_ ,” She challenged. “If not, I could go pick up a pacifier at the drugstore ten minutes from here.” Morrigan’s jaw set.

Meanwhile, Leliana watched, and, when Dru noticed Leliana’s observing, she felt a sudden flush of embarrassment at her behavior. She was backstage with a band, and a hot girl besides, drinking beer and fighting her best friend, when she should have been relaxing and having some laughs. This was her one night out. It was supposed to be fun.

But then, “Depends on if you’re capable of not falling for every piece of bullshit someone feeds you to get into your pants,” Morrigan said. “Maybe she’ll even make you pay for it.”  

Dru got up and headed toward the backdoor. “ _Fuck_ you.” She didn’t even know where the door went; she just needed to get out of there. She saw a flash of red-orange as she left. The air was thick and cold, colder than earlier. When she breathed it in, she could almost taste the humidity. She wondered if it was going to rain.

She heard more than saw Leliana closing the door behind them. “Do you argue like this often?”

“No,” Dru said. At least, it’d never stooped to her storming off before. Their arguments didn’t usually have that much bite to them. “Why aren’t you angrier? All those things she said about you…”

“They have better insults in Orlais, we’ll put it that way,” Leliana smiled.  She gestured her to follow. “We’ll go to the van. There’s a heater in there, and I have an extra key.”

They were finally alone.

She unlocked it and held the door open for her. Dru almost smiled at that, but she knew better, not to mention that she wasn’t in the best mood. She climbed into the van, Leliana soon following behind.

“So, now that we’re here,” Dru prompted, “you promised me an explanation.”

Leliana smiled slyly, “For the kiss?”

“No, for the ugly furniture. _Yes_ ,” she grit out, “the _kiss_.” She crossed her arms over her chest, leaning in.

Her smile lost some of its luster. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Try me,” Dru said.

“Marjolaine comes to all my shows, even after I broke up with her. It didn’t exactly sink in that we were over. So, tonight, I kissed someone in front of her, to send her a message.” She shrugged, like it was nothing. Dru wasn’t sure what she expected, since it’s not like the kiss meant anything to her either. “Hopefully, she’ll get it. She’s not the easiest person to talk to, to begin with, much less to break up with.”

“She still thinks you two are together?” Dru asked. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Probably not anymore,” Leliana answered. “Thanks to you.”

And, yet, when she thought about it, they still kissed. That had to mean something.

“You’re welcome,” Dru retorted, “I accept cash, check, and credit card.”

Leliana laughed lightly. Her voice suited laughter. “I’ll hold you to that.” 

 _You can hold me anytime_. The words nearly came to her lips, but, fortunately, she had at least a modicum of self-control. “Is there a mini bar over here?”

“Of course, help yourself.” Leliana gestured to the cooler by some makeshift loft and tables. The fold-up chairs were out, and they looked well-loved by the fraying strands of vinyl on the seats.

Dru sat down on one and poured herself a glass.

“I take it you don’t come to concerts often,” Leliana said.

“No, not anymore,” Dru confirmed with a sigh. Oh to be a teenager again. Now, she had responsibilities. She had rent to pay and customers to serve. Grim bosses to please, transportation to arrange, phone calls to ignore. Nothing high risk, not since she left service, but it was still exhausting.

Leliana quickly mixed a drink for herself, pouring with graceful, fluid movements despite her speed. “Maybe this could be the start of something new, then.”

“I don’t know. Does this “something new” come with free concert tickets?” She raised a brow, taking a lazy swig of her drink. A little slipped out onto her pants. She didn’t bother to rub it out.

“If you play your cards right.” With a shrug of her shoulders, Leliana was the pinnacle of cool and collected. “It’s not hard to see how you’d be useful backstage.” She looked at her through her eyelashes, and Dru saw the way her gaze rose and fell over her body.

Dru took another drink, feeling the warm buzz pool in her belly. “If there’s one thing I am, it’s useful.”

Leliana flashed a cat’s smile. “So many uses,” She considered, “in so many different positions.”

Dru practically coughed up a lung. “I-” She cleared her throat. “You’re very forward, aren’t you?”

“Kindly get your mind out of the gutter,” She said, taking a prim sip of her cocktail. “I meant positions like stagehand, technician, publicist… We always need an extra hand or two.”

“And where exactly are you expecting that “extra hand?”” Two could play at double entendres.

She smirked, slipping back into it so easily despite her brief scolding, “Depends. How familiar are you with… instruments?” What a hypocrite. What a beautiful, charming hypocrite.

“For the brief time I took clarinet lessons, I was told I had excellent command of the fingerings,” Dru mentioned, watching Leliana subtly bite the edge of her lip.

And she said, “I can imagine.” Her orange-red brows raised, in emphasis. “It’s good to be in _command_. It suits you.”

“Sure, sure,” Dru responded. “That’s all well and good, but I only give as good as I get.”

“You think I’m all talk?” Leliana leaned back in her seat.

“Oh, no, no,” Dru shook her head. “I think you’ve proven _that_ much, at least.”

Satisfied with their banter, the conversation turned casual. Leliana told her about some of the other bands performing tonight. A few were good, though the rest of the eight bands were dreadfully overestimating their abilities. Dru asked which number she counted Songbird amongst, and Leliana said that, if it weren’t for Sketch, they’d probably be the worst band there. Dru pointed out that that wasn’t really an answer, and Leliana insisted that Dru already _knew_ the answer. Which lead them to talking about Songbird’s music, where Leliana got Dru to admit that she actually thought it was good, even if it wasn’t her preferred style.

Leliana then asked her about the music _she_ liked, which caught her off-guard.

“Oh… Uh, you know, The Templars, Black Fox and The Rings, Fleetwood Quillback, Slim Couldry, Golem,” She started listing them off one-by-one, “Imperials, The Alchemists, A little of Zither’s old stuff, but, let’s be honest, he’s kind of overrated.”

“So, the classics,” Leliana said, with a pleased smile. “You went from clarinet lessons to classic rock. Tell me, when did you trade in your clarinet for Slim Couldry’s 12:65 _Bringing It All Back Home_.”

“Maker, that was sold out for _years_ ,” Dru said, remembering begging everyone she knew to get it for her as a Wintersend present when she was twelve. “But I did keep up the clarinet for a while… Didn’t mean that I wouldn’t rather be playing some real music instead of Hessarian Hymn No.5.”

“Aw, I can just picture it,” Leliana replied, unable to wipe the grin from her face. “But Chantry hymns do have their charm, even if it’s not rock music. Your parents must have been so proud.”

“Let’s just say the folks weren’t exactly pleased that,” She made her accent more posh, “Drusilla Amell of _the Amells_ was _blackening_ the family name with an infatuation for _Magister’s_ music.” She chuckled. “They weren’t even that devout themselves, but you know how parents are.”

“I guess,” Leliana replied. “I know Tug’s weren’t the happiest about his change in career.”

Usually when someone heard Amell, their eyes would go wide. They’d ask, “ _Those_ Amells?” Maybe they’d sputter something about how they read some article on her family in Business Weekly or the multitude of books on the subject. The Amell name was well-known throughout the Free Marches, at the very least, if not southern Thedas entirely. But Leliana’s eyes did not go wide. She did not ask for clarification. She did not mention titles of articles or books or what-have-you. It was like the surname hadn’t even been namedropped.

“Wait, you’re not going to say anything about my family?” Some part of her felt almost disappointed. Here was an opportunity to shock Leliana, to throw her off-guard for once. However, what she didn’t account for was Leliana, much like Dru, not giving a shit about family legacy.

“What’s there to say?” Leliana shrugged. “The Amells were famed nobility and made the corporate transition. Their story isn’t that special, or interesting.”

“Couldn’t have said it any better myself.”

“I’m more curious about _your_ story.” Leliana looked at her, like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Dru frowned, “Who said I had one?”

“Your body language.” Leliana gestured to the air, like she was giving the performance of her life. “You stand straighter than anyone I’ve ever met. Even when you’re casually sitting, you sit with good posture. There’s also the fact, when you walk into a room, you scan the perimeter like you’re a cop.”

Dru tilted her head curiously. Was Leliana trying to psychoanalyze her? She seemed to genuinely think she knew her from a night at a concert. This was going to be fun. “What else did you notice?”

“All throughout tonight, you constantly questioned me and took every opportunity to keep your distance, which, while understandable, is also indicative of some difficulty trusting others. But you also did everything you could to help your friend, taking control of the situation.” Leliana leaned back in her seat. “So he’s probably one of the few lucky people to reside in your inner circle, like friends and family. Yet, you also seemed rather indifferent once he was taken care of. So he’s someone you care about, that you don’t want to know you care. So possibly, for you, he’s like an annoying little brother.”

Dru rolled her eyes, thinking that one was much too obvious. “Uh-huh, what else?”

Leliana lowered her gaze on Dru’s body once again, before flicking her line of sight back to Dru’s eyes. “You have well-toned muscles, especially your biceps. You work out weekly, maybe semi-weekly depending on your lifestyle. I’m willing to bet that, considering your combative nature and your cop-like instincts, you’ve had, at the very least, weapons training.”

“So, let me get this straight, you think I’m a cop with trust issues and a really great body?”

Leliana smirked, “On the contrary. Most cops don’t go to seedy rock concerts on the edge of town that don’t card anyone. It’s clear you’ve undergone some serious training, but you don’t read military to me either. Probably Grey Warden. Considering your age, they probably got you straight out of school or maybe even during?”

Dru blinked at the sheer accuracy. “I… Yeah, actually.” How could she even tell?

“Not just a Grey Warden but a mage, too. You had the instincts to tell that our new spell might have affected your friend and knew what to do about it.”

“Or I could have had basic medical training,” Dru pointed out. After all, she sincerely doubted EMTs weren’t trained to deal with bad reactions to a spell or two.

“It’s possible you just had medical training, but… When Sketch took out some lyrium backstage…” Leliana looked up from the glass of liquor she was fondling in her hands, lips parted. She lowered her voice to a near whisper, “I saw you lick your lips.”

Dru swallowed. “You were watching me that closely?”

“What else is there to watch?” Leliana took a sip of her drink. “Now, I want to know your story.”

“Sounds like you have all the story you need,” Dru noted. “What’s next? Are you going to guess my childhood by how I wipe my ass?”

“I could, but that wouldn’t be as fun. The bits and pieces mean nothing without the glue holding it together.” Leliana set down her drink and leaned in. “Why did you decide to become a Warden?”

Dru crossed her arms over her chest. “Why did you decide to front a rock band?”

“Long ago, I decided I wanted it more than I was afraid of it,” Leliana smiled. “What is it they say? If you love your job, you never work a day in your life?”  

“You should write for greeting cards instead,” Dru commented. “You’d make a killing.”

Leliana looked her up and down with her eyes alone, the dark lashes following the movement of her gaze. “Are you giving me career advice, Warden?”

“Do you _want_ a career change?”

Leliana’s smile dropped, and, for a moment, she seemed to looking past her into some great unknown. Dru frowned and set her drink down on the table next to Leliana’s, watching the woman go deeper into her own subconscious.  For a brief moment, she considered checking her pulse to make sure the woman didn’t go comatose on her.

Finally, she said, “I don’t know. I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing for a long time. Never living in one place for too long. Trying so hard to be something I’m not. Doing what I can to make them love me.” She looked straight into her eyes. Leliana’s blue eyes weren’t wet with tears, but Dru saw sadness there all the same.

The moment seemed so uncharacteristically genuine that Dru didn’t know what to do with it. It wasn’t Leliana putting on a show for an audience or an ex-girlfriend or her friends. It was just a person wondering if she’d made the wrong choice. She wanted to say something, but she’d never been the type to just say the right thing at the right time.

“Change is hard,” Dru looked down at her feet. “Sometimes you wonder if it’s worth it. I- I still wonder if undergoing the Joining was worth it.”

“What made you go through with it?” Leliana reached for a cigarette from the pack on the table. It slid out easily from its pack.

“I… Well, I was kind of a troublemaker.” Dru watched her hold the cigarette between her teeth as she looked about for a lighter. “I got in a lot of heat for skipping school, vandalism, stupid crap like that. When Morrigan transferred in-” Getting sick of watching her struggle, Dru snapped her fingers, the flame flickering just above her fingers. “Here.”

She watched with bated breath as Leliana slowly leaned in, touching the end of her cigarette against Dru’s flame. The motion was hesitant, as if she was afraid she was crossing a line. This might have been why she maintained eye contact, which was distracting to say the least. “I- uh, when she came- came into my _life_ , I mean, it didn’t end there. It just became a collaboration. But, one day, we went too far. I got off easy because of my family connections.“

“And she didn’t,” Leliana said, her eyes still on her. Her cigarette was dangling casually from her hand. Somehow, despite her personable exterior, the way she moved had this cool detachment to it. She was the epitome of those artsy Orlesian movies with the beautiful girls going through existential crises under natural lighting.

“She was in a jail cell before I paid bail.” Even if it turned out alright in the end, she felt a remaining stab of guilt. Morrigan faced the consequences _for_ her. They wanted to make an example out of this delinquent teenager, as if she deserved to be made into some kind of warning for all rebel youth. She sighed, taking a long drink of what remained in her glass. She set it down with a hard clink. She found it hard to meet Leliana’s eyes. Even as the pleasantly nostalgic scent of cigarette smoke enveloped her, she felt out of sorts. “My mum made a deal with me. I’d finish secondary school and be shipped off to whoever would take me: military, Chantry…”

“ _Wardens_ ,” Leliana finished.

Dru nodded. “My exam scores were good enough that I barely got accepted, and, somehow, they appealed to me more than fighting foreign wars or reciting the Chant to bored locals. So I became a Warden.” She smiled then, thinking of all the years between then and now, “and Morrigan and I kept in touch.”

“So you turned your life around just like that,” Leliana replied. “Seems almost too good to be true.” Dru wasn’t sure what it was about her tone that stuck out to her. Maybe it was the rueful way she was eyeing her own cigarette, instead of looking at _her_. Here she thought she was trying to get into her pants. She did _not_ get into a fight with Morrigan, of all people, just to lose out on this chance.

“Yeah, just like that, your life can change completely,” Dru said. “You’re not as trapped as you think.”

Leliana finally looked at her, but the look in her eyes was cold enough to make Dru shiver. “What are you talking about?”

Dru shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Your ex? The one you were trying to get away from?”

“That’s not-” Leliana sighed and took a drag off her cigarette. “It’s complicated. You wouldn’t be able to understand.”

“You’re right,” Dru replied, “I don’t understand. Come on, be honest with me: did you actually consider yourself single when you kissed me?” 

Leliana crossed one leg over the other, posture going slack. “We have… history. There’s still old feelings tangled up in it.”

This was starting to sound familiar.

“If you keep making excuses, you’re never going to break it off.”

“I _will_ try to break up with her again,” She said before looking away and smoking her cigarette. “Eventually.”

“Sure thing, Leliana.” Dru got up, finally coming to a realization. At her movement, Leliana turned her head up, and Dru met her stare with her own. The sad part was, when she just looked into her eyes, devoid of all else, she could let herself fall a little in love. “You do what you need to do, and I’ll do the same.” But a little was not enough to change the facts, and love was best left to fairytales.

Just as Dru turned to leave, Leliana asked, “Are you really going to leave it like this?”

”I’m a lot of things, but I will not be “the other woman.””

“I’m sorry,”

“For the record, I am too.”


	3. Chapter 3

Dru Amell left the van, closing the door softly behind her. The cold air took a moment to hit her, but, once it did, it prickled at her skin like pins and needles. She stretched out her right leg, trying to shake out the numbness. Did she sit on it weird? She couldn’t remember. All she could remember was Leliana and how she managed to undo her in practically a night.

“Excuse me,” and Dru looked up at the unfamiliar voice. It sounded a little like Leliana’s, except lower and throatier. The woman had long, onyx-black hair that tumbled down her shoulders in thick waves, and it was as shiny as the little black dress she wore (which, by the way, was a little formal for a _rock show_ , of all places). “Do I need to report a break-in?”

 

“A what?” Dru blinked.

 

The sour look on her face reminded her a little of Morrigan. _Oh, Morrigan._ They never fought like that before. Her guilt was then undercut by, “going into a vehicle that does not belong to you,” she defined with an eye-roll. “Wonders never cease. You fangirls are determined. I’ll give you that.”

“I didn’t- I’m not a fangirl,” Dru argued the moment she saw this stranger look towards the nearest payphone. “My friend’s the- Wait, why do _you_ care?” She seemed awfully concerned with what Dru was doing, of all people. That didn’t seem like any of her business.

“Why, I am Songbird’s manager, and it is part of my job to ensure the safety of their belongings.” Her scowl twisted into some parody of a smile. “And I’d love to know the reason you were barging into private property, Ms…?”

“Dru, and I was invited.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I didn’t break into anything.”

“Likely story,” she muttered. “Maybe I should involve one of the bouncers if you’re going to be difficult.” That made Dru tense. Being suspected of things never ended well, in her experience. Especially not when it involved seedy concerts on the edge of town.

 

That was when the door to the van swung open.

“Marjolaine,” Leliana announced as she marched forward, fury in her eyes. “This is incredibly inappropriate.”

“Wait, _this_ is Marjolaine?” Dru looked between them.

“Inappropriate?” Marjolaine talked over her, sounding aghast.

“Obviously,” Leliana said, though Dru wasn’t sure whom she was addressing. Maybe it was the both of them, simultaneously.

“Really? I believe what’s inappropriate is using the van I bought you to have sex with groupies.”

“First off, you owe Drusilla Amell here an apology,” Leliana gestured to her. Then, she held up two fingers. “Second, my sex life is none of your business.” She lifted a third finger. “Third, you called it a gift, and gifts do not come with stipulations, no?”

“You’ve been in this game long enough to know.” Marjolaine grabbed her wrist with a barely restrained smile. “Nothing comes for free, darling. I own you.”

“What the fuck?” Dru pushed her away from Leliana, getting in between them. “Does someone need to call the cops on your ass?!”

 

“Stay out of this, you spoiled brat,” and she attempted to grab Leliana again, the latter begging her to stop. “Stop this, Marj, please! Stop. Please, please...”

It was too much to handle. Blocking her wasn’t going to be enough. That in mind, Dru decided to do a bit of grabbing of her own, grasping and holding Marjolaine’s arm to her back. Dru was trained in non-offensive combat, but, usually, she didn’t need it. She was either not as rusty as she thought or Marjolaine wasn’t as ferocious as she seemed, since she didn’t fight back too hard.

But she didn’t exactly seem pleased either.

At Marjolaine’s shriek, Leliana finally intervened. “Dru! Stop, she gets the message!”

 

Dru pulled Marjolaine in close. “You leave her alone,” She warned, “or I’ll use my magic to turn you inside out.” Then, she released her entirely. Marjolaine spat at Dru before leaving to lick her emotional wounds, probably. They could hear her muttering as silence fell between them.

 

“Woah, that was…” Leliana paused, rendered speechless. She was watching Marjolaine as she left.

“A lot?” Dru offered, and Leliana nodded, turning her attention back to her.

“I’m sorry I went a little overboard there,” Dru told her.

“No, it’s… Knowing her, it probably would have escalated no matter how we acted,” Leliana assured her. “I’m sorry you had to see her like this. To… see me like this.”

Silence fell between them once again.

 

Dru couldn’t help but offer a smile, albeit an awkward one. “Sooo… you’re over.”

“Yes.” Meanwhile, Leliana’s shoulders slumped, her face fell, and suddenly it was the world crashing down around them. “We’re finally over.”

Dru slowly set her hands on Leliana’s upper arms. “Hey, hey,” Dru said softly. “That took guts to do what you did. I can see why it was so hard for you. She’s..”

“A lot?” Leliana offered, the corners of her mouth forming a shaky smile. It was the kind of smile that a breeze could knock down. _So much for Leliana the Anchor in a Storm_. But then again, maybe the first impression was still apt. Even anchors need support sometimes, steady hands to lower it down at the right spot. Marjolaine didn’t exactly have steady hands.

Dru chuckled despite herself. “Sure, yeah, she’s a lot.” She could feel her smile started to fade. “Now, you can move on… To whatever or whoever you want.”

Leliana’s smile shifted into that familiar smirk. “Someone like you?”

“If that’s what you want.” Dru let her hands drift a little lower on her arms.

“I don’t know if I am ready to get back into a relationship so quickly…” Leliana’s flirtatious tone turned uncertain. It’s not like she could blame her, having an ex like that. Even just coming out of a longterm relationship could be destabilizing. Not that Dru would know, of course. She’d never been in a relationship that long.

“I’m not expecting you to date me or anything.” Dru let her hands fall to her sides. “Let’s just enjoy the time we have tonight.”

“ _Maker_...” Leliana looked askance, considering the offer. “You know, Dru Amell,” She finally answered, “that sounds perfect.”

 

Drusilla took her hand and led her back into the venue, past the lounge, back into the crowd. She didn’t exactly memorize the setlist, so she wasn’t sure how many bands they missed. Probably a few at least from how the crowd seems a little less dense and a lot less hyped. At least the volume was more reasonable.

 

This band had a male lead, the same guy on mic and guitar. His voice was scratchier and kind of gravelly, and it’s not that Dru minded it but, in her not-so-professional opinion, it didn’t hold a candle to Leliana’s melodic tones. Now, she had perfect pitch, so maybe that wasn’t a fair comparison. Still, she gave Leliana’s hand an encouraging squeeze, as if to tell her she’s-having-fun-but-she’s-here-to-be-with-her. From the way she smiled back under the roaming lights, she got the message loud and clear.

For once, she wasn’t fighting the crowd. Rather, it felt like she was part of it. She and Leliana swayed when they swayed. She and Leliana cheered when they cheered. She and Leliana shouted out lyrics when they shouted out lyrics, even if Dru was mostly yelling gibberish out of ignorance. The whole experience was exciting. No, it was electric.

 

She looked at Leliana again, her bright megawatt smile, the way the light danced in her eyes. No, Leliana was electric.

 

Dru turned away with a cough. It’s been so long since she was attracted to someone and they were attracted right back. Leliana wasn’t repelled by her attitude or her family name or even her being a Warden. It was almost too good to be true. It had to be too good to be true.

Just then, there was a squeeze at their joined hands. She wasn’t sure if she was accidentally holding on tight or if Leliana was the culprit. Feeling vulnerable, she slowly pulled her hand away. But Leliana looked to the stage instead of her now empty hand.

 

The song was something slower now, she just realized. She barely even noticed they went to the next song. The crowd around them was starting to sway. Leliana laid a hand between Dru’s shoulder blades, and the stiffness in her back started to ease. “You kinda remind me of this song,” and her lips were right by her ears. Her breath made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

“I-” Dru struggled to control her breathing.

“Shh,” Leliana hushed, “Just listen closely.”

 

It started off slow and quiet, maybe a little too slow and quiet for the genre. But it had this tension underneath that slowly built on itself. The rhythm was powerful and steady against the almost discordant melody. They began a slow crescendo, and her fingers fidgeted to the beat despite all her effort.

 _That’s me?_ She looked to Leliana, who was looking straight back at her.

Almost as if on cue, Leliana smiled. It was half-way between creepy and beautiful.

Then, finally, the music reached its peak. The guitar itself wasn’t the star, but rather the bass was. It was heavy and deep and loud. Somehow, it perfectly integrated into the rest of the music, too. The drums pounded fast and hard, and the guitarist/vocalist strummed away as he sang. She wasn’t even sure what the song was about, just that she felt kind of dizzy listening to the organized chaos.

 

Dru felt skin brush up against her jawline.  Her head was then gently turned towards Leliana. She lifted a hand to rest on top of Leliana’s. “I remind you of that?” was all Dru could sputter out.

“What?” Leliana asked, unable to hear her over the music.

So, she asked again, a little louder this time. “I remind you of that song?!”

“Yes,” Leliana mouthed, with a smile and nod. _I bet you say that to all the girls_.

 

Before Dru could reply with something suitably snarky, Leliana kissed her. She tasted like alcohol and smoke, though Dru would be lying if she said she abstained either. They were both pretty drunk, but, if their lips were sloppy, Dru couldn’t tell. Then again, Dru wouldn’t have been able to tell if it was day or night, bright or dark, it was that kind of kiss.

It stayed that kind of kiss, as Dru pulled her closer, hands splayed against hips. It was that kind of kiss when Dru inched her lips open against Leliana’s and when her tongue darted out to trace the edges of Leliana’s mouth. Leliana’s lips opened to mirror hers, and, from there, all she could taste was beer and gin in the sticky saliva that coated their mouths.

 

When their lips finally parted, they parted opening and closing, taking in shallow breaths into just-kissed mouths. And they parted tingling with leftover sensation, like they might have stopped kissing but the nerves in their skin didn’t catch up to reality.

Leliana’s eyes were wide and ocean blue, and it was obvious even in the dark, crowded room. It was the kind of blue that people wrote songs about, ones that sold records and made tons of cash. Maybe it was the alcohol, but Dru wanted to kiss her again. Feeling bolder, she leaned in this time to initiate. Next thing she knew, however, Leliana was pulling away.

 

“Isn’t that your friend?”

 

Dru turned to follow Leliana’s line of sight. Past the remnants of the crowd, there was a young woman leaving. She looked like Morrigan. It was the same spikey hair and loads of piercings and... No, she _was_ Morrigan. And despite Dru getting into a huge fight with her, she waited around for at least an hour, maybe more. They said such shitty things to eachother, but she still stuck around.

“Shit, yeah, that’s- that’s Morrigan,” Dru said, taking turns looking at Leliana and at her friend’s retreating figure. “Fuck. I’ve been kind of a wanker, haven’t I?”

“You should go talk to her,” She suggested.

Dru then turned her attention to Leliana. Out of all the things she expected her to say, that definitely ranked in the bottom three. “You’re kidding. After all this trying to get in my pants….”

“It’s not right to do this, when I’m the reason you and your friend are fighting,” Leliana explained, voice barely audible over the blaring music. “I can wait.”

“Are you...” Dru searched for the right word. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

“Don’t worry,” Leliana smiled, “I’m sure you’ll find a way to make it up to me when you get back. Just make sure you do come back.”

 

Dru smiled back. “Thanks. I will.” And she found a crack in the crowd to get through.

She pulled her limbs in tight as she made her way through. A couple times she had to push someone aside to go forward. It was hard, like it’d be at any concert, but this was a small time affair anyways. She managed to free herself quicker than she’d thought.

Once she did, she couldn’t see Morrigan anymore. It was like faded into thin air before her eyes. Then again, maybe she did. Morrigan was a damn talented mage, when she bothered to try.

 

But still. The disappearing act didn’t exactly help Dru right now.

 

“Shit.” She looked to her left, then her right. Where the fuck did she go?

She started by circling the area. Morrigan wasn’t by the door to the backstage lounge, nor was she by the bar (though the _bartender_ still was and saw Dru well enough to give her the finger). She wasn’t in any of the little nooks and crannies of the room. It was clear that Morrigan wasn’t along the perimeter, and Dru didn’t exactly see her heading _into_ the crowd.

Dru went out the front doors, then, to see nothing but the cold, cold air and gravel. A man was leaving the venue, but he was already out into the road and getting into his car by then. Dru frowned.

 

“What happened to Ms. Congeniality?” The voice was to her left, and Dru followed the sound.

“Morrigan,” Dru said with a sigh of relief, stepping out from the doorway. Morrigan was leaning against the wall next to the entrance, one of her knees bent as she smoked her cigarette.

“Why do you look so relieved?” She snapped. “I thought you were about ready to jump her bones. Fuck everything else, right?”

“Morrigan, that’s not fair,” She told her.

Morrigan tilted her chin in the air defiantly. “I called Duncan. He’s coming in a bit to pick up Alistair. It seems _someone_ still cares about his well-being.”

“And what about you?”

“I’m surprised you care.”

“Of course I do!” Dru barked back. “You’re my best friend!”

“Well, you haven’t exactly been acting like that’s the case,” Morrigan pointed out, pushing herself off of her spot on the wall to face her. “You’ve been making a total arse of yourself over some chick.”

“ _You’ve_ been acting like an arse ever since she kissed me,” Dru mentioned. “Why can’t you just be supportive? Is it so hard to imagine someone might _like_ me for _me_?!”

 

Morrigan’s scowl melted away. “You really believe I think that?”

“I don’t know what I believe,” Dru said. “All I know is you’ve been acting like that way all night, and I’ve been acting this way all night. And it’s making no one happy. I thought we were going to have some fun tonight, but I guess you had something else in mind.”

 

“Dru, I’m just worried.” Morrigan’s shoulders relaxed, and she inhaled off her cigarette, eyes cast downward. “You’re my… You’re my friend, and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

“I get that, but you can’t be making these decisions for me,” Dru said. “I need it to be on my terms.”

“I only-” But then Morrigan sighed. “I admit that I might not have handled it the best.”

“ _Might_ not?” Dru crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yes, fine, definitely didn’t. I just don’t want to lose you.” And it wasn’t sarcastic either. Morrigan, of all people, was saying this earnestly.

 _That’s weird of her._ Dru laughed a little, uncrossing her arms and smoothing out her hair. “Morrigan, you couldn’t lose me if you tried. I’m stuck to you like glue. Better get used to it.”

Morrigan smiled back, one of those rare smiles. “Good to know.” Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears.

“Hey, come here,” and Dru wrapped her arms around her. Morrigan let out an annoyed grunt.

“Ugh,” Morrigan grunted again, causing Dru to pull away.

 

“Sorry,” Dru said, “I forget sometimes that you’re not much of a hugger.” She paused before continuing. “Did something happen lately? To make you doubt us?” She racked through her brain. “Flemeth didn’t call again, did she?”

Morrigan looked away, unable to hold her gaze. “Mum certainly has a way with words.”

“Fuck,” Dru breathed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you,” She admitted. “You’ve got enough to worry about without-”

“Hey, stop that,” Dru said, “Make me worry. Maker, I’d rather we work it out between us than letting it build up ‘til you’re ready to snap.”

“It’s still hard to talk about such things,” Morrigan shrugged. “But I’ll try. For you.”

“Good,” Dru said. “I’d hate to lose you, too, you know.”

“Sure, whatever,” Morrigan smiled.

“I gotta go back inside,” Dru smiled back. “You coming with or are you going to stay out here smoking like a loner?”

 

“Fine, if you insist, I’ll go back in,” She said with an eyeroll. “I’d rather not waste the ticket.”

Dru pat Morrigan on the back. “That’s the spirit.”

 

They went back inside, and, just as she promised, Leliana was still there waiting. Dru smiled, nudging Morrigan’s arm. “I think you owe Leliana an apology.”

Morrigan rolled her eyes once more. “Fine,” She managed to say over the music. “If you insist.”

They made her way over to her by the edge of the crowd. “Hey, I’m back,” Dru greeted and pointed to Morrigan. “I think she has something to say to you!”

Leliana smirked, tilting her head in faux-curiosity. “Alright, I’m listening.”

As the music onstage started to wind down, Morrigan’s hands fussed and fidgeted at the safety pins on her shirt. “I- I, uh- Look, I realize I might have been… hasty in judging you.”

Leliana’s brows raised. “Really?” She looked to Dru. “I wonder what inspired this change of mind.”

Dru shrugged. “Hey, don’t look at me.”

 

“Too bad,” Leliana smiled, “I think I could look at you all night.”

 

And, she did, for the most part. Leliana and Dru exchanged glances all throughout the rest of the night. Sometimes, Dru would look, followed by a turn of Leliana’s head. Other times, Leliana’s eyes would stray to Dru first, and Dru’s eyes would follow. They were so wrapped up in each other that everything else faded away. Even when the concert was over.

 

Dru’s back hit her door.

Especially when the concert was over.

“You’re not as gentle as you seem,” Dru observed, breathlessly. Then again, that implied she had breath to start with. Looking into Leliana’s eyes made that exceedingly difficult.

Leliana just smirked, hands on either side of the door. “I can be gentle,” Leliana said, and she went in for a kiss. It was soft this time, soft and careful. Her lips moved to a slow rhythm, and Dru’s hips followed along. Leliana was right. She could be gentle.

 

Leliana bit down on her lip. Correction: she could be gentle when she _chose_ to. Dru moaned in turn, her hands grasping at the waistband of Leliana’s pants. If she timed this just right, she could finger her right in the hallway. Her neighbor Sten was usually out like a light by now. Leorah’s night jog ended in an hour or two. Bran wasn’t going to be sneaking back from his late night rendezvous for a while. And the little old lady at the end of the hall is deaf.

And of course, she would prefer to get started without Leliana noticing.

So Dru licked at Leliana’s upper lip with another soft moan. She moved against her lips hard, like she was trying to spread her saliva all over. Leliana, for her part, didn’t let up when the competition got steep, and she slipped a hand up Dru’s shirt. Dru tilted her head back, barely noticing as she collided with the door again. “ _Fuck._ ”

 

“Yes, that’s the idea,” Leliana retorted in a whisper, and she moved her lips to scatter kisses along Dru’s jawline. While distracted, she probably didn’t notice Dru’s fingers unbuttoning her pants. At least, Dru hoped she didn’t. To make sure, though, she needed to continue distracting her.

“Tell me what you want to do to me,” Dru said, before adding, “Be specific.”

 

Leliana’s fingers found a nipple. She gave it a tight squeeze. “A better question would be,” she pointed out, “what _don’t_ I want to do to you?” Then, she twisted it painfully.

Dru let out another moan. Her hand stalled in its path down Leliana’s underwear. “So, no- no limits?” She inwardly cursed herself for stumbling over the syllables.

“Tell me the limits,” Leliana whispered at her ear. “Won’t you tell me, Dru?”

“No p-piss or any shite like that,” she breathed. “And don’t break any bones.”

“Why would I break your bones?” She whispered.

“No, not mine,” Dru said, “ _yours_.” Then, she slipped a hand down Leliana’s pelvis.

 

And Dru could hear the smile in her voice when she replied, “I think I can handle that.”

Then, when Dru pressed on Leliana’s clit, she saw the facade of confidence fall away to sheer pleasure. “I- In-” Leliana started, releasing her nipple. Her smooth hands flattened against Dru’s ribcage.

“What is it?” Dru whispered by her ear, pressing further. _Oh, how the tables have turned._

“In the hallway?” She choked out.

In answer, Dru started toying with her cunt. She made sure not to keep up a steady rhythm at first, just to throw Leliana off her game. “Dr-Dru,” Leliana managed, which was then cut off by yet another moan. Her fingers wound about her sides, nice and tight, using Dru’s body to keep herself steady.

 

It was kind of cute to see _her_ stumble over her words for once. “Leliana, you really should keep quiet. You might wake up Sten next door.”

“Somehow,” Leliana managed as Dru curled the finger inside her, “I d-don’t think this is appro-appropriate if you’re concerned about that...”

“Hm, on second thought, you’re right,” She mumbled, pausing her hand’s movements completely. “Should I stop?”

 

Leliana let out a drawn-out whine. Dru loved pleading. Maker, she loved it. She bet Leliana secretly loved it, too.

 

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Dru grinned and resumed teasing her. “Fuck, it’s... it’s hard not to just go all in with you.”

 _Just seeing her get like this is making me wet_ . She was tempted to continue their fun in her apartment, maybe get a strap-on out and into her. Or maybe one of those vibrators. But she didn’t know the next time she’d see Leliana, famous rock singer with the infamous ex-girlfriend coworker, if she was ever going to see her again. Why _not_ fuck her nice and slow? Why not make it last?

 

“Fuck me,” Leliana begged. _Oh, fuck_. Dru really wanted to. “I want you.” The pitch and volume of her voice were rising in need, and Dru felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Wait,” She told her, increasing her hand’s pace, and Leliana held onto her, keeping herself steady. Dru wrapped her free arm around Leliana in turn. She wanted to hold her steady herself.

“Dru,” Leliana gasped, and, from her voice, it sounded like she was almost there. “Ah, s'il te plaît!”

“I got you,” Dru whispered. “I got you.”

And, when Leliana cried out, Dru caught her in her arms to prevent her fall. Leliana bent forward, tucking her face into the crook of Dru’s neck. She could feel the redhead’s hot breath on her skin.

 

“You are even stronger than you look,” Leliana whispered.

“Is that bad?” She knew that some women aren’t into muscles, but she didn’t think Leliana would be one of them.

Leliana could only shake her head. “Now, um, won’t- won’t you be a good hostess and let me see your apartment?”

“Yeah.” Dru steadied her, before finally removing her hands. “Yeah, sure.” She took out her key and slid it into the lock. A couple turns, and she heard the trademark click. She pushed the door inward and waved towards the doorway.

“After you,” Dru said with a smile.

 

And Leliana went inside. And Dru made her some tea.

And, before she knew it, she was pantsless in her bed as Leliana eased down on top of her. She wasn’t even half-sure of what happened in between. Thankfully, Leliana remembered to lock the door. Dru certainly wasn’t in the frame of mind to remember.

“Do you use toys often?” Leliana asked, giving the straps around her hips a tug.

“Not that much these days,” Dru told her, shivering on top of the blankets. She didn’t remember to turn the heating on, either.

Leliana reached down to touch her. “You’re still wet; that’s good.”

Dru didn’t need to be told that. She rolled her eyes with a smile. “You gonna fuck me, or what?”

 

Leliana rolled her eyes, too, and pushed the tip inside _hard_. Dru cried out.

As Leliana started to move her hips, Dru could hear her say, “This is going to be fun, I think.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this fic. I will one day make a sequel fic.

Dru woke up to the sunlight streaming in through the blinds and the birds chirping outside. Slowly, she pushed herself up, ignoring the soreness in her bottom half. She lifted her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunshine. She really should have gotten thicker curtains. 

Dru sighed, leaning herself against the bed frame. “Jeez, what a night.”

She heard a yawn at her side, soft and almost kind of cute.  _ Maker, what is this woman doing to me? _ Dru turned to look at Leliana, who was still laying down. “But we had fun, no?” 

“Fuck yeah, we did.” Dru nudged her shoulder. She watched her prop herself up by the elbows and her eyes blink in confusion. 

 

“What time is it?” Leliana mumbled. Her voice was softer and breathier when she was tired, and Dru was half-tempted to go another round. That is, if she could ignore the twang in her muscles when she made any sudden movements. She shifted in her seat on the bed, at the protest of her thighs.

_ Ow. _

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before turning her head towards her alarm clock. “Around nine o’clock. You got somewhere to be?” If so, she wouldn’t be shocked. Leliana was the lead singer of a pretty successful rock band, judging from the crowd. Her people probably weren’t expecting her to be waking up from one night stands at locals’ apartments.

“They’ll be expecting me back soon,” Leliana mentioned. 

 

Dru nodded, ignoring the ache in her legs. “Do you need any cash for a cab?”

“Aw, how sweet,” Leliana smiled, rolling over onto her stomach. “But no, I couldn’t. I can walk. Besides, I still have some cash on me.” She chuckled. “I would have more if I didn’t buy that margarita last night.”

“You should know by now that bar tabs at concerts are killer,” Dru pointed out, trying not to scold her. It wasn’t any of her business if she was going to waste money on overpriced cocktails. It especially wasn’t any of her business that she didn’t seem hungover from said cocktails.

“Yes, but we usually bring our own,” She explained, folding and unfolding her fingers against the pillow. “And, sue me, sometimes I like branching out from beer and gin tonics every once in a while.” 

Dru shrugged, watching as Leliana pulled herself out of bed. “Maybe we could branch out sometime. I know this cheapass bar a couple of blocks away.”

Leliana bent over, pulling her lacy underwear to her hips. “Oh?” Her head turned toward her, her torso twisting in place. “Is that your way of asking me out on a date?”

Dru looked down at her lap. “I’m just saying, they probably have more than beer on the menu.”

 

She replied with an amused chuckle. “You’re “just saying.”” The redhead picked up a pair of pants, before realizing it was Dru’s and tossing it aside. But then she picked it up again. “Hm, I could put these away for you?” 

“You’d do that? Sure.” She watched Leliana take the pants to her dresser and fold them neatly into the top drawer. “I get it if you’re too busy. It’s just some shitty bar. No pressure.”

Leliana turned around, the corner of her mouth turned up into a smirk. “And _ I’m  _ just saying, I would love to. No pressure.”

Dru couldn’t help but smile back. “Uh, you would? You really had me going there for a minute.” 

Leliana soon found her tank top and slipped her arms through the holes. Next, she finally got her pants from the corner of the room and pulled the pair on. “Are you always this nervous the day after?” As she secured the button, she looked up at Dru, who was still on the bed.

“I-” Dru swallowed. “Uh...”

Leliana put her hands on her hips. “The correct answer is, “only when she is as beautiful as you, Leliana.””

“Only when she’s this shameless, you mean,” Dru said. 

“So you like it when I’m shameless,” Leliana replied, before she ducked into Dru’s bathroom. “Good to know!”

Dru rolled her eyes. She drew her knees toward her chest, having forgotten about the cramps only to be hit full force with the pain. She couldn’t help but wince. The smallest groan escaped from her lips at the sheer pain. But, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her notepad, and her pain was soon forgotten.

_ What info should I give her? _ Dru tapped the butt of a pencil against her chin. She started by scribbling down a series of numbers, followed by the street name. Duncan’s Donuts wasn’t exactly glamorous, but Leliana could probably find her there more likely than not. Then, underneath the address, she wrote down her phone number. Just in case she wasn’t at Duncan’s.

 

Dru set it down and went to her dresser for some fresh clothes. She pushed aside the recent pair of pants from yesterday on top, before remembering something. She pulled it back and fished around for her wallet, deciding to give it the once-over.

The bills were all in there, so she didn’t need to worry about that. Her ID was still in there too - thank the Maker. But something felt off. She could have sworn she put in her credit card the other way. Dru frowned, trying to think back. Ger memory of the day before was rather fuzzy. She shook her head.  _ Probably just used it before and put it back in the wrong way. _

 

Just then, Leliana got out of the bathroom, hands in her pockets. She was staring down at Dru so intensely it was a little awkward. “I had a great time last night.”

“Yeah, same here,” Dru stepped back from the dresser. “Uh- Wait.” She went back to her nightstand and fetched the note. “If you ever want a sequel.” She held out the note to Leliana, who was smiling at her.

“You can count on it,” Leliana said, and did she fucking  _ wink _ ?

Dru couldn’t help but laugh. Of course she did.


End file.
